“What We Can Do.” New Year’s Pioneer Revue at Prague Castle and the New Image of Socialist Childhood

This study examines a pioneer revue, which was broadcast live from Prague Castle by Czechoslovak Television on 1st January 1965. By reconstructing the programme, the study aims to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the creation of the revue, examining both the critical reflection on the pioneer movement at the time and the formulation of a new image of socialist childhood influenced by changes in the post-Stalin Soviet Union – two general aspects previously explored in the literature. Utilizing cultural historical research methods, the study combines media research and the cultural-political elements of the children’s movement within the socialist state. It investigates contemporary attitudes towards some of the values associated with childhood and the image of the ideal pioneer (e.g. children’s public service activities, engagement, physical fitness, and relationship with authority), linking them to efforts to reform the pioneer movement in the second half of the 1960s.